Aperture offers a full range of tools to help serious photographers organize and manipulate images and manage workflow. This little guide is packed with hip tips, secrets, and shortcuts that help you get even more functionality from the software. Find out more than you ever knew about vignetting, RAW fine-tuning, Quick Preview mode, Command Editor, and using the integrated iPhoto Browser. Learn new ways to streamline your workflow, get tips on publishing albums online or as customized photo books, and take advantage of many more Genius techniques.

Designed for the Apple enthusiast, this handy, colorful guide is packed with ingenious and innovative tips for getting the most from Aperture 3, and the latest version 3.3. Aperture 3 Portable Genius, 2nd Edition gives you the professional tips and tricks that help you squeeze all the functionality from this cool software.

onOne Software today introduced the Perfect Layers Public Preview. Perfect Layers gives photographers the ability to easily create and work with layered files in their workflow application of choice. Perfect Layers supports the creation of layered files that can be opened and edited by Adobe Photoshop software and can be used directly from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software, Adobe Bridge and, with the shipping version, Apple Aperture.

“The impact Perfect Layers is going to have on photographers using Lightroom makes it a game changer!” said Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop User magazine. "This is the must-have plug-in for Lightroom."

Add Layered File Functionality to Lightroom
The ability to have multiple layers in a single file is a great benefit and provides unlimited creative options when enhancing an image. With the Perfect Layers Public Preview, from directly within Lightroom, photographers can create or open layered files. This means photographers can combine multiple images from Lightroom into a single image. They can also open existing Photoshop documents from within Lightroom.

Uses of Perfect Layers include merging two or more exposures of the same scene into a single image and masking in the desired portion of each exposure. Compositing multiple images, such as action shots, becomes a simple task with Perfect Layers. Also with Perfect Layers, Lightroom users can now have access to the power of blending images together with blending modes. Blending layers together is a great way to stylize and enhance a photo as well as to retouch a portrait. Files created with Perfect Layers can be opened by Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements later for additional editing if desired.

Masking Brushes: Control how much of each layer is visible by using the Masking Brush created originally for PhotoTools 2.6 and FocalPoint 2. Similar to using a layer mask, the Masking Brush can be used to reveal or hide selected areas of a layer. The Masking Brush is non-destructive and can even be re- edited with Photoshop.

Blending Modes: Perfect Layers brings the power and creativity of blending modes to Lightroom. Blending modes determine how two layers interact with each other. For example, you can blend a black and white version of an image with a color version to get a very dramatic and stylized look. Perfect Layers includes the following blending modes: Normal; Lighten; Darken; Screen; Multiply; Overlay; Soft Light; Hard Light and Color.

Adjust Layers: The streamlined interface in Perfect Layers contains all the controls needed to size, align and reorder layers. A number of useful blending modes offer the ability to dramatically alter images by changing the brightness, altering the color or even creating special effects. All the adjustments can be easily modified.

Perfect Layers Public Preview allows photographers to start experimenting now with a subset of the features that the complete, shipping version of Perfect Layers will provide. The complete shipping version of Perfect Layers will add more features including:

• Support for Apple Aperture
• The ability to adjust the image/canvas size
• The MaskingBug control from PhotoTools 2.6 to create smooth gradient masks
• Color fill layers and several other new features

As a public preview release, similar to a beta release, the Perfect Layers Public Preview is not indicative of the final performance and quality of the forthcoming complete shipping version. Technical support is not available for the preview release. Users can submit their feedback on this public preview from within the application.

Perfect Layers Preview is available immediately at www.ononesoftware.com/perfectlayers. The shipping version will be available, with additional features, by mid 2011 as a standalone product for $159.95 and as part of the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5. Owners of Plug-In Suite 5 can upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, which will include Perfect Layers, at no additional cost. The Perfect Layers Public Preview is a time limited release and will expire on June 30, 2011.

Get 15% Discount At onOne With Our Exclusive Coupon Code Enter our exclusive discount coupon code - PSSPPT06 - during the checkout process at onOne Software for an instant 15% discount on any onOne product. This includes their amazing Photoshop Plug-In Suite 5.

You can buy Apple Aperture at the Apple App Store for only $79.99. Aperture includes powerful tools for refining images, showcasing work, and managing massive libraries on a Mac. Enhanced Faces and Places provide new ways to organize images. Nondestructive brushes with built-in edge detection make precision retouching of photographs intuitive and fast. Choose from dozens of built-in adjustment presets, or create your own to give your photos a custom look. Advanced slideshows in Apple Aperture support HD video and give you complete control over text, transitions, and timing. And stunning full-screen views let you use every inch of your Mac display to navigate and browse your entire library.

Apple has introduced Aperture 3, the next major release of its powerful photo editing and management software, with over 200 new features including Faces, Places and Brushes. Building on the innovative Faces and Places features introduced in iPhoto ’09, Aperture 3 makes it even easier and faster to organize large photo libraries.

Aperture 3 introduces new tools to refine your photos including Brushes for painting image adjustments onto parts of your photo, and Adjustment Presets for applying professional photo effects with just one click. Stunning new slideshows let you share your work by weaving together photos, audio, text and HD video.

Aperture 3 allows you to organize large photo libraries with even more flexibility using Projects and the new Faces and Places. Faces uses face detection and recognition to find and organize your photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects.

In a new view that speeds up the organization process, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. Places lets you explore your photos based on where they were taken, and like in iPhoto, Places automatically reverse geocodes GPS data into user-friendly locations. In Aperture 3, you can assign locations by dragging-and-dropping photos onto a map or by using location information from GPS enabled cameras, tracking devices or your iPhone photos.

The new Brushes feature allows you to add professional touches to your photos by simply painting effects onto the image. Aperture 3 includes 15 Quick Brushes that perform the most popular tasks like Dodge, Burn, Polarize and Blur, without the complexity of layers or masks. Brushes can automatically detect edges in your images to let you apply or remove effects exactly where you want them. Aperture 3 includes dozens of Adjustment Presets that apply a specific style or look to the entire image with just a click. You can create your own custom presets or explore the techniques of other photographers by importing theirs.

Aperture 3 makes it easy to share your work with stunning slideshows that weave together photos, audio, text and HD video. You can select one of six Apple designed themes or choose your own transitions, background, borders and titles, and even add your own soundtrack. You can export your slideshows directly to iTunes to take with you on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can also share photographs as beautiful prints, create custom-designed hardcover books and publish to online photo sharing sites like Facebook and Flickr, right from Aperture 3.

New Aperture Site - Inside ApertureScott Bourne alerted us that a new site focused exclusively on Apple's Aperture photo application has launched, and will carry a lot of Scott's excellent resources. The site is called Inside Aperture and is operated by computer book publishing giant O'Reilly and is sponsored by Apple.

Here's a little bit more from the site: "O'Reilly Media's Inside Aperture site draws upon community expertise to provide you with tips and real-life experiences from professional shooters who use Apple's premier photo management application to organize, edit, and output their images. This site features weblogs, articles, podcasts, and tutorials  all focused to help you improve your digital photography workflow." Check Inside Aperture.ApertureTricks.com Blog Offers Apple Aperture HelpScott Bourne, a professional photographer, author and educator has created ApertureTricks.com to help photographers who are trying to adjust to the new paradigm introduced by Apple. Bourne, who moderates the blog and has created most of its initial content, hopes others in the Aperture community will contribute to help make it a valuable resource site.

"Any time you have a new software program, there's just no way one person can know it all right away," said Bourne. "I want to create a community where people who are interested in Aperture can come and share their thoughts, concerns and tricks for using the software." Here are some recent Aperture tips and tricks that have been posted:

Better Web Gallery  This is a simple trick to create a Web Gallery in Aperture.Image Straighten  If you try to straighten an image by clicking on the straighten tool in the tool bar and then clicking and dragging within your image, it's easy to go too far or not far enough. Actually getting the image straight often requires some luck done that way. Here's an easier way.White Balance  How to set white balance on a picture.Talk To Apple  How to provide Apple with your feedback.Zoom All Images  When you have two or more images visible in the viewer and you have used 'Zoom to Actual Size' all images will display at 100%.Deleting Camera Generated Names  Are you frustrated by the fact that Aperture keeps the camera > generated file name when you import images? If so, there's an easy workaround.Working With Stacks  Stacks are one of Aperture's coolest features. You can "stack" images together for easier compare and select or just to keep like images together. If you want to use two images from a stack independently of each other, you have several choices...Multiple Libraries  Lots of you were concerned when I announced new information on Apple's new photo software called Aperture. One of the biggest complaints was that Aperture currently requires that all photos in a single library are stored on the same drive. I have spoken with Apple about this and have an update.
First, this is going to change in future versions but it's not something that can be fixed in time for the official product drop date.
But there is a workaround...

For more tips and tricks visit ApertureTricks.com
You can find lots of good Aperture resources and Aperture tutorials on the Apple site. Here are a few to start with.

Apple Aperture Quicktime TutorialsApple has posted 26 QuickTime tutorials to their support site. These are the very same Aperture tutorials that ship in the box with the software, and they take you through importing photos, using Stacks, taking advantage of Full-Screen mode, rating images, adding keywords, creating Smart Albums, making image adjustments, working with external editors, creating books and websites, printing, and more. These video tutorials are designeed to step you through every part of the photo management process while using Aperture.

Visit the Apple Aperture Tutorial Section.Exclusive Special Offer - Fluid Mask 2.0 - $189Fluid Mask 2.0 is based on breakthrough segmentation technology inspired by the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing. When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask's segmentation engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups within the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and textures, a model is constructed which divides the images into objects.

Vertus Software is offering Fluid Mask at the special 'friends and partner' discounted rate of just $189 - PLUS free upgrades for the next 6 months.

Visit the Apple's Aperture Quick Tour Page.Key Features of ApertureYou can also read some pages that describe the power of Aperture with an overview of key features of Aperture. See the following pages on the Apple site:

Advanced RAW WorkflowAs a photographer, you know all about the benefits of shooting RAW. With access to all the data your digital SLR can record, you're capturing images of startling quality, great dynamic range, and virtually no noise. And now, for the very first time, you have an application that provides you with more control of the final image than you've ever had before. One that actually makes working with RAW files as easy as working with Debugs. That application? Aperture.read more

Intuitive Photo Edit Tools
It's the biggest, most taxing job you have as a photographer. You've finished your shoot. You've taken thousands of photographs. Now you need to quickly edit the shoot, reviewing all of your photos and identifying your very best. Aperture helps you accomplish this with powerful and flexible tools designed specifically to address the needs of the professional photographer.read more

Photographer-Friendly RetouchingHave you ever modified a file and instinctively hit commands only to realize that you've just overwritten your original file? You can't Undo. You just have to live with the results. If you remembered to backup, you may have another copy of your original. But what you really need is an application that lets you freely experiment with your images while still providing you a built-in safety net. What you really need is Aperture.read more

Versatile Printing and PublishingUsing Aperture, you can produce high-quality prints and contact sheets, design customized books, and create impressive websites as beautiful as the photographs you take. Best of all: you can do it all with drag-and-drop ease.read more

The Photoshop Blog offers the latest Photoshop and Digital Photography news and software updates, tips and tutorials, and random thoughts from graphic artist, digital photographer and Photoshop expert Jennifer Apple.Apple Pro Training Series: ApertureThis collection of Apple Pro Training tutorials will get you up and running in no time. You’ll learn how to sort, rank, and manage images with unparalleled efficiency; display onscreen proofs and contact sheets in compelling ways for clients; edit and retouch your selected images professionally; publish proofs, portfolios, and final images on the Web and in print; and archive images in a way that’s easy, secure, and intuitive. These hands-on tutorials provide a great overview of an indispensable application for digital photographers.